Method for Constructing PD-1 Gene Modified Humanized Animal Model and Use Thereof

ABSTRACT

Provided is a method for preparing a PD-1 gene-modified humanized animal model. The method utilizes the CRIPSR/Cas9 technique to replace partial fragments of a mouse PD-1 gene with fragments of a human PD-1 gene using homologous recombination by constructing a targeting vector, thereby preparing a gene-modified humanized mouse. This mouse can normally express a PD-1 protein containing the functional domain of the human PD-1 protein, and can be used as an animal model for mechanism research regarding PD-1, PD-L1 and other signals, for screening regulators, and for toxicological research. The method has an important and high application value in studies on functions of the PD-1 gene and in the development of new drugs.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present application relates to the field of animal genetic engineering and genetic modification, and in particular, to a method for constructing a PD-1 gene-modified humanized animal model based on the CRISPR/Cas9 technique and a use thereof in biomedicine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A humanized animal model refers to an animal model that carries human functional genes, cells or tissues. This model is typically used as an alternative living model for research on human diseases, and has tremendous advantages and a prospect of extensive applications in understanding pathogenesis and drug screening.

To study pathogenesis of complicated human diseases and screen effective drugs, a lot of in vivo experiments need to be performed by using ideal animal models. Mice have been one of the mostly used biological models. Considering the differences between mice and humans in physiological, pathological, and many other aspects, however, it is particularly important to construct humanized mouse models that carry human functional genes, cells or tissues. In studies on some human diseases, one method is to use humanized genetic animal models that are prepared by “placing” human genes on chromosomes of rats and mice using a method of gene modification.

At present, tumor immunotherapy is one of the most promising research directions in the field of tumor treatment. The journal Science ranked tumor immunotherapy as No. 1 of Top Ten Science Breakthroughs in 2013. Right now, studies on PD-1/PD-L1 channel inhibitors have attracted particular attention.

PD-1 (programmed death-1) is mainly expressed on the surface of T cells and preliminary B cells. Two ligands of PD-1 (PD-L1 and PD-L2) are extensively expressed in antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and others. The interaction between PD-1 and its receptors plays an important role in negative regulation of immune response. The expression of PD-L1 protein can be detected in many human tumor tissues. The micro-environment of tumor sites can induce an expression of PD-L1 on tumor cells. The expressed PD-L1 is favorable for genesis and growth of tumors, induces the apoptosis of anti-tumor T cells, and then evades the attack from an immune system. By inhibiting the binding of PD-1 and its ligands, tumor cells can be exposed to the attack of an immune system, and then the effect of killing tumor tissues and treating cancers can be achieved.

Currently, many big domestic and international companies begin to intensify the development of anti-PD-1 drugs. The most known global pharmaceutical giants are BMS and Merck & Co. Opdivo and Keytruda by the two companies have overcome melanoma and lung cancer indications. In November 2015, FDA approved the use of Opdivo on advanced renal cell carcinoma, and the critical Phase III clinical trial of Opdivo on head and neck cancer was successfully completed. The results disclosed on ASCO GI 2016 held in January 2016 indicate that these two drugs show positive therapeutic effect on ductal carcinoma and stomach cancer. At the end of 2015, Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co., Ltd. became the first company in China with a PD-1 monoclonal antibody approved for clinical use; in January 2016, BGB-A317, a PD-1 monoclonal antibody by BeiGene (Beijing) Co., Ltd., passed the FDA review for new drug research application and was approved for clinical trials in the U.S.; on February 19, SHR-1210 (a PD-1 monoclonal antibody) for injection developed by Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co., Ltd. was approved for medicine clinical trial with the main indication being solid tumors; on February 22, Walvax Biotechnology issued an announcement that the application for clinical research on an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody product (genolimzumab injection) developed by its subsidiary Genor BioPharma Co. Ltd. was accepted, and the main potential indications thereof included various blood cancers and a variety of solid tumors like melanoma, non-small lung cancer, and renal cancer. As of March 2016, two domestic companies had PD-1 monoclonal antibody drugs approved for clinical trials, and two others were in the acceptance process.

The fierce competition among pharmaceutical companies shows the high acceptance of this type of drugs. PD-1 inhibitors could become an important benchmark in the history of medicine. The US National Cancer Institute (NCI) has listed PD-1 as the second most promising potent target in 140 cancer immunotherapy paths and molecules.

Since immunotherapy has relatively significant immunotoxicity, such as dermatitis, colitis, hypophysitis, and the like, the side effect is directly related to the degree of immune response and difficult to be avoided through dosage adjustment. A serious adverse reaction, pneumonia, has been reported for nivolumab and MK-3475, both of which are PD-1 monoclonal antibodies. Therefore, it is very important to have a strict drug screening procedure. Due to the significant difference between human physiology and animal physiology, however, experiment results obtained from animal models sometimes are not applicable to humans. As humanized animal models can “replicate” some human functions very well, this type of models is often used as alternative living models for in vivo research on human diseases. Humanized animal models have extensive applications. For example, they are applicable in fields like tumors, AIDS, infectious diseases, human degenerative diseases, and blood diseases.

Some PD-1 gene-related animal models have already been developed at present. For example, Nihimura et al. prepared BALB/c mice with PD-1 knocked out in 2001. These models were mainly used in studies on functions of the PD-1 gene and relevant disease mechanisms. Because of the tremendous value of the PD-1 gene in applications in fields of tumor and immunotherapy, the present invention is hereby provided in light of the insufficiencies and defects of the prior art, so as to make efficacy trials in early stage clinical trials more effective and improve the success rate of research and development.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a PD-1 gene-modified humanized non-human mammal model.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a method for preparing the PD-1 gene-modified humanized non-human mammal model.

A third object of the present invention is to provide an application of the model.

To achieve the objects of the present invention, the following technical solution is employed:

1) constructing a targeting vector: obtaining a homology arm from genome DNA using PCR, and connecting the homology arm with an hPD-1 fragment to be introduced to the targeting vector;

2) constructing sgRNA: designing and selecting sgRNA according to the target site, connecting sgRNA to the vector plasmid, and performing in vitro transcription;

3) transferring the targeting vector and the transcribed sgRNA into embryonic cells, and transplanting the embryonic cells into animals with false pregnancy;

4) genotyping the obtained chimeric animals, screening to obtain a positive animal with successful gene knock-in; subsequently, the positive animal copulating with a wild-type animal to obtain F1 generation heterozygotes; and obtaining homozygotes after copulation among the F1 generation heterozygotes.

Based on the above technical solution, the present invention provides a PD-1 gene-modified humanized animal model, the animal is a non-primate mammal, the genome thereof contains human PD-1 gene fragments and can normally express PD-1 functional protein, and the expressed protein contains a functional domain of human PD-1 genes.

The PD-1 gene modification is a gene modification performed on the second exon of the PD-1 gene.

Furthermore, the non-primate mammal is a rodent.

Furthermore, the rodent is a mouse.

Preferably, the background of the mouse is C57BL/6.

For the PD-1 gene-modified humanized animal model according to the present invention, nucleotides 11053-11385 of its PD-1 gene are replaced by a human DNA fragment, and other mouse PD-1 regions including the transmembrane region are retained; the human DNA fragment is as shown by SEQ ID NO: 21.

In one example of the present invention, for the provided PD-1 gene-modified humanized animal model, nucleotides 11053-11385 of its PD-1 gene are replaced by a human DNA fragment, and 14/13 bp of the left and right edges of the second exon and other mouse PD-1 regions including the transmembrane region are retained; the human DNA fragment is as shown by SEQ ID NO: 21.

The present invention provides the DNA sequence of a humanized mouse PD-1 gene, and the protein encoded with the DNA sequence contains functional domains of human PD-1 proteins.

The present invention provides the DNA sequence of a humanized mouse PD-1 gene, wherein nucleotides 11053-11385 of a mouse PD-1 gene are replaced by a human DNA fragment, and 14/13 bp of each of the left and right edges of the second exon and other mouse PD-1 regions including the transmembrane region are retained; the human DNA fragment is as shown by SEQ ID NO: 21 or is a DNA fragment having 80% or higher homology with this fragment; the DNA sequence of the humanized mouse PD-1 gene contains a nucleotide sequence shown by SEQ ID NO: 14 or a DNA fragment having 80% or higher homology with the DNA sequence of the humanized mouse PD-1 gene. In one example of the present invention, the upstream and downstream primer sequences used for amplifying the DNA sequence of the humanized mouse PD-1 gene are as shown by SEQ ID NO: 22-23.

For the DNA sequence of the humanized mouse PD-1 gene, its CDS sequence is shown by SEQ ID NO: 15 or a DNA fragment having 80% or higher homology with SEQ ID NO: 15, its mRNA sequence is shown by SEQ ID NO: 16 or a DNA fragment having 80% or higher homology with SEQ ID NO: 16, and the protein sequence encoded thereby is shown by SEQ ID NO: 17 or a specific amino acid fragment thereof with unchanged functions. The present invention provides a use of the DNA sequence of a humanized mouse PD-1 gene in constructing the PD-1 gene-modified humanized animal model, wherein nucleotides 11053-11385 of the second exon of the mouse PD-1 gene are replaced by a human DNA fragment, and other mouse PD-1 regions including the transmembrane region are retained, the human DNA fragment is as shown by SEQ ID NO: 21, and the DNA sequence of the humanized mouse PD-1 gene contains a nucleotide sequence shown by SEQ ID NO: 14.

Furthermore, in a specific example of the present invention, nucleotides 11053-11385 of the second exon of the mouse PD-1 gene are replaced by a human DNA fragment, and 14/13 bp is retained for each of the left and right edges.

Furthermore, the use is to inject an in vitro transcription product containing an expression vector of the DNA sequence of the humanized mouse PD-1 gene and Cas9mRNA, and sgRNA plasmid of the second exon of the mouse PD-1 gene into a cytoplasm or nucleus of a mouse fertilized egg, and to transplant the fertilized egg into a receiving female mouse for producing the PD-1 gene-modified humanized mouse model.

The present invention provides sgRNA of the second exon of the specifically targeted mouse PD-1 gene, and its target site sequence is as shown by SEQ ID NO: 3 or SEQ ID NO: 8.

In the present invention, the upstream and downstream single stranded sequences, as shown by SEQ ID NO: 9-10, respectively, of a target site sequence as shown by SEQ ID NO: 3 are synthesized; the upstream and downstream single stranded sequences, as shown by SEQ ID NO: 11-12, respectively, of a target site sequence as shown by SEQ ID NO: 8 are synthesized.

The CRISPR/Cas9 targeting vector that contains the DNA sequence of the sgRNA falls within the protection scope of the present invention.

The present invention provides a use of the sgRNA or the CRISPR/Cas9 targeting vector in preparing a PD-1 gene-modified humanized animal model.

In the present invention, a method for preparing a PD-1 gene-modified humanized animal model is provided, the method comprising the following steps:

(1) connecting the DNA sequence, 3′ homology arm and 5′ homology arm of the humanized mouse PD-1 gene of the present invention to a plasmid, and constructing a homologous recombinant expression vector of the second exon of the humanized mouse PD-1 gene; the 5′ homology arm is as shown by SEQ ID NO: 18, and the 3′ homology arm is as shown by SEQ ID NO: 24;

(2) constructing a plasmid of sgRNA of the second exon of the mouse PD-1 gene;

(3) injecting the in vitro transcription product from the step (2), the expression vector from the step (1), and Cas9mRNA into a cytoplasm or nucleus of a mouse fertilized egg, and transplanting the fertilized egg into a receiving female mouse for producing the PD-1 gene-modified humanized mouse model.

In the step (1), the DNA of a wild-type C57BL/6 mouse genome is used as a template for PCR amplification of the 5′ homology arm fragment and the 3′ homology arm fragment, and the amplified primer pair sequences are as shown by SEQ ID NO: 19-20 and SEQ ID NO: 25-26, respectively; the plasmid is PV-4G.

The plasmid of sgRNA of the second exon of the mouse PD-1 gene from the step (2) is obtained by connecting the sgRNA to a pT7-sgRNA plasmid.

The present invention further provides a PD-1 gene-modified humanized animal model prepared using the above method.

The present invention provides a use of the animal model, the DNA sequence of the humanized mouse PD-1 gene, the sgRNA for the second exon of the mouse PD-1 gene, or its CRISPR/Cas9 targeting vector in preparing PD-1 or PD-L1 regulators or drugs.

The present invention provides a use of the animal model, the DNA sequence of the humanized mouse PD-1 gene, the sgRNA for the second exon of the mouse PD-1 gene, or its CRISPR/Cas9 targeting vector in research on PD-1 or PD-L1 signal mechanism.

The present invention provides a use of the animal model, the DNA sequence of the humanized mouse PD-1 gene, the sgRNA for the second exon of the mouse PD-1 gene, or its CRISPR/Cas9 targeting vector in oncological research.

The present invention further relates to sperms, eggs, fertilized eggs, embryos, progenies, tissues or cells from a gene-modified animal, research on PD-1/PD-L1 signal mechanism of the above biological material, and use in pre-clinical experiments, such as research on drug toxicity of PD-1/PD-L1 regulators and screening and development of PD-1/PD-L1 regulators.

The present invention provides a use of the animal model, the DNA sequence of the humanized mouse PD-1 gene, the sgRNA, or CRISPR/Cas9 targeting vector comprising the same in R&D of PD-1 or PD-L1 regulators or drugs, in research on PD-1 or PD-L1 signaling mechanism, and in oncological research.

The present invention provides a mouse carrying humanized and modified PD-1 genes, wherein its genome contains human PD-1 gene fragments, can normally express PD-1 functional protein, and the expressed protein contains a functional domain of human PD-1 genes.

Furthermore, for the mouse carrying humanized and modified PD-1 genes, nucleotides 11053-11385 of the second exon of its PD-1 gene are replaced by a DNA fragment of human PD-1 gene, 14/13 bp is retained for each of the left and right edges, and other mouse PD-1 regions including the transmembrane region are retained; and the human DNA fragment is as shown by SEQ ID NO: 21.

The present invention provides a use of the animal model or the mouse carrying humanized and modified PD-1 genes in preparing a multi-gene humanized animal model.

The multi-gene humanized animal model prepared using the animal model or the mouse carrying humanized and modified PD-1 genes through copulation or further with a gene editing method also falls within the protection scope of the present invention.

Furthermore, a use of the multi-gene humanized animal model in drug R&D or in oncological research falls within the protection scope of the present invention. The drugs are monoclonal antibody, bispecific antibody, or polyclonal antibody drugs, as well as other biological or chemical drugs.

The present invention further provides a cell or tissue isolated from the animal model or any mouse.

The present invention further provides a use of the animal model, mouse, cell, or tissue in R&D of PD-1 or PD-L1 regulators or drugs, in research on PD-1 or PD-L1 signaling mechanism, and in oncological research.

The present invention further provides a use of the animal model, mouse, cell, or tissue in evaluating effectiveness of targeted PD-1/PD-L1 drugs or in screening targeted PD-1/PD-L1 drugs.

The present invention further provides a use of the animal model, mouse, cell, or tissue in evaluating effectiveness of joint administration of targeted PD-1/PD-L1 drugs and other drugs or in screening combined drugs for joint administration of targeted PD-1/PD-L1 drugs and other drugs.

The present invention further provides a use of the animal model, mouse, cell, or tissue in screening regulators for human PD-1/PD-L1 signal pathway.

The present invention further provides a method for evaluating effectiveness of targeted PD-1/PD-L1 drugs, which uses the animal model, mouse, cell, or tissue to evaluate drugs.

The present invention further provides a method for evaluating effectiveness of joint administration of drugs targeting PD-1/PD-L1 combined with other drugs, which uses the animal model, mouse, cell, or tissue to evaluate combined drugs for joint administration of drugs targeting PD-1/PD-L1 combined with other drugs.

The present invention further provides a method for screening drugs targeting PD-1/PD-L1, which uses the animal model, mouse, cell, or tissue to screen drugs.

The present invention further provides a method for screening joint administration of drugs targeting PD-1/PD-L1 combined with other drugs, which uses the animal model, mouse, cell, or tissue to screen combined drugs for joint administration of drugs targeting PD-1/PD-L1 combined with other drugs.

Furthermore, the drugs targeting PD-1/PD-L1 are drugs for treating tumors.

Preferably, the drugs are monoclonal antibody, bispecific antibody, or polyclonal antibody drugs, as well as other biological or chemical drugs. The present invention has the following features: 1) for the animal model according to the present invention, the second exon of its PD-1 gene is partially and manually replaced by the second exon of human PD-1 gene in a manner of DNA sequence homologous recombination; 2) the animal model according to the present invention can express a PD-1 protein containing the functional domain of the human PD-1 protein in the animal body. The adoption of this method can minimize the impact on humanization caused by gene splicing and editing; and retain other mouse PD-1 gene functional regions including the transmembrane region, so as to avoid abnormality in mouse expression of the PD-1 protein and physiological functions related to the PD-1 protein as a result of gene humanization.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1: activity test results for the 5′-terminal targeting site sgRNA (sgRNA1-sgRNA4) and the 3′-terminal targeting site sgRNA (sgRNA5-sgRNA8), wherein Con was a negative control, PC was a positive control, and blank was a blank control.

FIG. 2: a plasmid map of pT7-sgRNA.

FIG. 3: results of enzyme digestion and electrophoresis of TV-PD plasmid, 1 and 2 in the figure representing 2 TV-PD plasmid, respectively.

FIG. 4: PCR identification results of founder mice tails, wherein wt was a wild-type mouse, nc was a negative control, M was a mark, and 1, 2, and 3 in the figure represent tail PCR identification results of three F0 mice in Example 9.

FIG. 5: PCR results of F1 generation mice, wherein WT was a wild-type mouse, nc was a negative control, and M was a mark.

FIG. 6: Southern blot results of F1 generation mice, wherein M was a mark and WT was wild type.

FIG. 7: flow cytometry results of the PD-1 gene-modified humanized hybrid mouse.

FIG. 8: flow cytometry results, wherein wild-type C57BL/6 mice and B-hPD-1 homozygous mice were taken, their T-cells in spleens were activated through the anti-mouse CD3 antibody, respectively, then the anti-mouse PD-1 antibody mPD-1PE (FIGs. A and B) and the anti-human PD-1 antibody hCD47 FITC (FIGs. C and D) were used for cell labeling; it can be seen through detection and analysis with a flow cytometer that: compared with the control group (FIGs. A and B), cells that express the human PD-1 protein can be detected in the spleens of the B-hPD-1 homozygous mice; while in the spleens of the C57BL/6 mice, no cells that express the human PD-1 protein were detected.

FIG. 9: RT-PCR detection results, wherein +/+ was a wild-type C57BL/6 mouse, H/H was a B-hPD-1 homozygous mouse, and GAPDH was an internal control.

FIG. 10: mouse colon cancer cells MC38 were transplanted into B-hPD-1 mice, and the human PD-1 antibody Keytruda was used for anti-tumor efficacy test, and there was no significant difference in average weight increase between the G1 control group and G2 Keytruda treatment group.

FIG. 11: mouse colon cancer cells MC38 were transplanted into B-hPD-1 mice, and the human PD-1 antibody Keytruda was used for anti-tumor efficacy test, the average volume of tumors in experimental animals in the G2 treatment group was obviously smaller than that of the G1 control group, and the difference was significant.

FIG. 12: mouse colon cancer cells MC38 were transplanted into B-hPD-1 mice, and different doses of the human PD-1 antibody Keytruda were used for anti-tumor efficacy tests (0.3 mg/kg, 1 mg/kg, 3 mg/kg, and 10 mg/kg), and there was no significant difference in average weight increase among experimental animals in the G1-G5 groups.

FIG. 13: mouse colon cancer cells MC38 were transplanted into B-hPD-1 mice, and different doses of the human PD-1 antibody Keytruda were used for anti-tumor efficacy tests (0.3 mg/kg, 1 mg/kg, 3 mg/kg, and 10 mg/kg), the average volume of tumors in experimental animals in the G2-G5 groups was obviously smaller than that of the G1 control group, and the difference was significant.

FIG. 14: the modified mouse colon cancer cells MC38-hPDL1 (the PDL1 gene humanized MC38 cells) were transplanted into B-hPD-1 mice, and the human PD-L1 antibody Tecentriq was used for anti-tumor efficacy test, and there was no significant difference in average weight increase between experimental animals in the test group and the control group.

FIG. 15: the modified mouse colon cancer cells MC38-hPDL1 were transplanted into B-hPD-1 mice, and the human PD-L1 antibody Tecentriq was used for anti-tumor efficacy test, the average volume of tumors in experimental animals in the treatment group was obviously smaller than that of the control group, and the difference was significant.

FIG. 16: the modified mouse colon cancer cells MC38-hPDL1 were transplanted into B-hPD-1 mice, and different doses of the human PD-L1 antibody Tecentriq were used for anti-tumor efficacy tests (3 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg), and there was no significant difference in average weight increase among experimental animals in the G1-G4 groups.

FIG. 17: the modified mouse colon cancer cells MC38-hPDL1 were transplanted into B-hPD-1 mice, and different doses of the human PD-L1 antibody Tecentriq were used for anti-tumor efficacy tests (3 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg), the average volume of tumors in experimental animals in the G2-G4 groups was obviously smaller than that of the G1 control group, and the difference was significant.

FIG. 18: the modified mouse colon cancer cells MC38-hPDL1 were transplanted into B-hPD-1 mice, and one or two of Cisplatin, Keytruda, and Tecentriq were used for anti-tumor efficacy test, and there was no significant difference in average weight increase among experimental animals in the G1-G4 groups.

FIG. 19: the modified mouse colon cancer cells MC38-hPDL1 were transplanted into B-hPD-1 mice, and Cisplatin, Keytruda, and their combination were used for anti-tumor efficacy tests; the average volume of tumors in experimental animals in the G2-G6 treatment groups was obviously smaller than that of the control group, and the volume of tumors in mice in the Cisplatin combined with Keytruda group (G4) was significantly smaller than that of mice in the treatment group only using Cisplatin (G2) or the treatment group only using Keytruda (G3), indicating that the therapeutic effect of combination was superior to the therapeutic effect of separate administration of Cisplatin or Keytruda.

FIG. 20: the modified mouse colon cancer cells MC38-hPDL1 were transplanted into B-hPD-1 mice, and Cisplatin, Tecentriq, and their combination were used for anti-tumor efficacy tests; the average volume of tumors in experimental animals in the treatment groups was obviously smaller than that of the control group, and the volume of tumors in mice in the Cisplatin combined with Tecentriq group (G6) was significantly smaller than that of mice in the treatment group only using Cisplatin (G2) or the treatment group only using Tecentriq (G3), indicating that the therapeutic effect of combination was superior to the therapeutic effect of separate administration of Cisplatin or Keytruda.

FIG. 21: the modified mouse colon cancer cells MC38-hPDL1 were transplanted into B-hPD-1 mice, the positive control Tecentriq or any one of anti-human PD-L1 antibodies PDL1-Ab1 and PDL1-Ab2 was used for anti-tumor efficacy tests, and there was no significant difference in average weight increase among experimental animals in the G1-G4 groups.

FIG. 22: the modified mouse colon cancer cells MC38-hPDL1 were transplanted into B-hPD-1 mice, the positive control Tecentriq or any one of anti-human PD-L1 antibodies PDL1-Ab1 and PDL1-Ab2 was used for anti-tumor efficacy tests, wherein there was no significant difference in the volume of tumors between mice in the treatment group using the PDL1-Ab1 antibody (G3) and the treatment group using Tecentriq (G2), and there was significant difference in the volume of tumors between G2 or G3 and the control group (G1) (P<0.05); on the other hand, the volume of tumors in mice treated with the PDL1-Ab2 antibody (G4) was significantly larger than that of the Tecentriq treatment group (G2) and the PDL1-Ab1 antibody treatment group (G3), indicating that under the same dosage and frequency, the anti-human PDL1-Ab1 antibody and the positive control Tecentriq have the similar therapeutic effect and have the similar effect on inhibiting tumor growth, while the anti-human PDL1-Ab2 antibody has a poorer therapeutic effect to that of Tecentriq or the PDL1-Ab1 antibody.

FIG. 23: the mouse colon cancer cells MC38 were transplanted into B-hPD-1 mice, five anti-human PD-1 antibodies were used for anti-tumor efficacy tests, and there was no significant difference in average weight increase among experimental animals in the G1-G6 groups.

FIG. 24: the mouse colon cancer cells MC38 were transplanted into B-hPD-1 mice, five anti-human PD-1 antibodies were used for anti-tumor efficacy tests, and the volume of tumors in mice in all G2-G6 groups shrinks to different degrees and/or disappears compared with the control group, indicating that all five anti-human PD-1 monoclonal antibodies have excellent tumor inhibitory effect.

FIG. 25: flow cytometry results, wherein C57BL/6 mice and double humanized CTLA-4/PD-1 heterozygous mice were taken, their T-cells in spleens were activated through the anti-mouse CD3 antibody, respectively, then the anti-mouse CTLA-4 antibody mCTLA-4 APC (FIGs. A, B, C) or the human-source CTLA-4 antibody hCTLA-4 PE (FIGs. D, E, F), or the anti-mouse PD-1 antibody mPD-1 PE (FIGs. G, H, I) or the anti-human PD-1 antibody hPD-1 FITC (FIGs. J, K, L), and the anti-mouse T-cell surface antibody mTcRrβ were used simultaneously for cell labeling T-cell extracellular proteins; cells that express the human CTLA-4 and PD-1 proteins were detected in the spleens of the gene double humanized CTLA-4/PD-1 heterozygous mice, while no cells that express the human CTLA-4 or PD-1 protein were detected in the spleens of the C57BL/6 control mice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLES

Biochemical reagents used in examples of the present application include EcoRI, EcoRV, HindIII, KpnI, BglII enzymes purchased from NEB with the article numbers thereof being R3101M, R3195M, R3104M, R3142M, and R0144M, respectively; NucleoBond® Xtra Maxi Plus EF purchased from Macherey-Nagel with the article number being 740426; Kanamycin purchased from Amresco with the article number being 0408; Ambion in vitro transcription kit purchased from Ambion with the article number being AM1354; AIO and UCA kits purchased from Biocytogen with the article numbers being BCG-DX-004 and BCG-DX-001, respectively; Cas9mRNA was from SIGMA with the article number being CAS9MRNA-1EA; mouse colon cancer cells MC38 purchased from EK-Bioscience; E-coli TOP10 competent cells purchased from Tiangen with the article number being CB104-02; anti-mouse PD-1 from Biolegend with the article number being 135210; Cisplatin from Hospira Australia Pty Ltd.; mouse CD3 antibody from BD with the article number being 563123; mPD-1 PE from Biolegend with the article number being 109104; hPD-1 FITC from Biolegend with the article number being 329904; mTcRrβ PerCP from Biolegend with the article number being 109228; mCTLA-4 APC from Biolegend with the article number being 106310; and hCTLA-4 PE from Biolegend with the article number being 349906.

Example 1 Design of sgRNAs Targeting PD-1 Gene

The target sequence determines the targeting specificity of small guide RNA (sgRNA) and the efficiency of Cas9 cleavage at the target gene. Therefore, target sequence selection was important for sgRNA vector construction.

Design and synthesize a guide RNA sequence for identifying the 5′-terminal targeting site (sgRNA1 to sgRNA4) and the 3′-terminal targeting site (sgRNA5 to sgRNA8). Using mice as an example, according to the function and sequence features of the PD-1 gene, the 5′-terminal targeting site and the 3′-terminal targeting site were both on the second exon of the mouse PD-1 gene, and the target site sequence of each sgRNA on PD-1 was as follows:

sgRNA-1 target site sequence (SEQ ID NO: 1): 5′-agggacctccagggcccattggg-3′ sgRNA-2 target site sequence (SEQ ID NO: 2): 5′-cagaggtccccaatgggccctgg-3′ sgRNA-3 target site sequence (SEQ ID NO: 3): 5′-gtagaaggtgagggacctccagg-3′ sgRNA-4 target site sequence (SEQ ID NO: 4): 5′-ccctcaccttctacccagcctgg-3′ sgRNA-5 target site sequence (SEQ ID NO: 5): 5′-gcaccccaaggcaaaaatcgagg-3′ sgRNA-6 target site sequence (SEQ ID NO: 6): 5′-ggagcagagctcgtggtaacagg-3′ sgRNA-7 target site sequence (SEQ ID NO: 7): 5′-gttaccacgagctctgctccagg-3′ sgRNA-8 target site sequence (SEQ ID NO: 8): 5′-gcaaaaatcgaggagagccctgg-3′

Example 2 Screening of sgRNAs

The UCA kit was used to detect activities of a plurality of guide sgRNAs screened from Example 1, and it can be seen from the results that the guide sgRNAs have different activities. See FIG. 1 for the detection results.

Two of them, sgRNA3 and sgRNA8, were selected therefrom for subsequent experiments.

Upstream and downstream single strands of the sgRNAs were synthesized. See Table 1:

TABLE 1 List of sgRNA3 and sgRNA8 sequences sgRNA3 sequence SEQ ID NO: 9 Upstream: 5′-tagaaggtgagggacctcc-3′ SEQ ID NO: 10 Downstream: 5′-ggaggtccctcaccttcta-3′ sgRNA8 sequence SEQ ID NO: 11 Upstream: 5′-caaaaatcgaggagagccc-3′ SEQ ID NO: 12 Downstream: 5′-gggctctcctcgatttttg-3′

Example 3 Construction of pT7-sgRNA Plasmid

The source of pT7-sgRNA plasmids: see FIG. 2 for the pT7-sgRNA vector map. The plasmid backbone was from Takara with the Catalog No. 3299. DNA fragments containing a T7 promoter (taatacgactcactatagg) and sgRNA scaffold were synthesized by a plasmid synthesis company (see SEQ ID NO: 13) and were connected to the skeleton vector through enzyme digestion (EcoRI and BamHI). As verified through sequencing by a professional sequencing company, the results show that the target plasmids were obtained.

Example 4 Construction of pT7-PD-3 and pT7-PD-8 Vectors

For sgRNA3 and sgRNA8 listed in Table 1, TAGG was added to the 5′ ends of the upstream single strands and AAAC was added to the 5′ ends of the downstream single strands. After annealing, the upstream and downstream single strands were connected to the pT7-sgRNA plasmids (the plasmid was linearized first using Bbs1), respectively, to obtain the expression vectors pT7-PD-3 and pT7-PD-8. See Table 2 for the connection reaction system:

TABLE 2 Connection reaction system sgRNA annealing product 1 μL (0.5 μM) pT7-sgRNA vector 1 μL (10 ng) T4 DNA Ligase 1 μL (5 U) 10xT4 DNA Ligase buffer 1 μL 50% PEG4000 1 μL H₂O Add to 10 μL

The reaction conditions were as follows: connect at room temperature for 10 to 30 min, transfer into 30νL it TOP10 competent cells, then take 200νL it for coating onto a Kan resistant plate, culture at 37° C. for at least 12 h, select 2 clones for inoculation into an LB medium having Kan resistance (5 ml), and shake to culture at 37° C. and 250 rpm for at least 12 h.

Randomly select clones for sequencing verification by a sequencing company, and select expression vectors pT7-PD-3 and pT7-PD-8 with correct connection for subsequent experiments.

Example 5 Sequence Design

Nucleotides 11053-11385 of the second exon of the mouse PD-1 gene (Gene ID: 18566) were replaced by a human DNA fragment (SEQ ID NO: 21), and the ultimately obtained DNA sequence of the modified humanized mouse PD-1 (chimeric PD-1 DNA) was shown by SEQ ID NO: 14. SEQ ID NO: 14 only lists the DNA sequence of the modified portion, wherein the 219-551 bp region was a human fragment.

According to the above operation, a human DNA fragment was replaced onto the second exon of the mouse PD-1 gene to ultimately obtain a humanized mouse. Specifically, the CDS sequence and mRNA sequence of the humanized mouse PD-1 were shown by SEQ ID NO: 15 and SEQ ID NO: 16, respectively; for SEQ ID NO: 15 (869 bp), the sites 91-423 were a human fragment, and for SEQ ID NO: 16 (1972 bp), the sites 154-486 were a human fragment; the human/mouse chimeric PD-1 protein sequence was as shown by SEQ ID NO: 17, wherein the 31-141 bp region was a human fragment.

Example 6 Vector Construction

According to the above experimental scheme, upstream primers of 3 homologous recombinant fragments, matching downstream primers, and relevant sequences were designed. Specifically, the DNA of a wild-type C57BL/6 mouse genome was used as a template for PCR amplification to obtain a 5′ homology arm fragment and a 3′ homology arm fragment; the DNA of a human genome was used as a template for PCR amplification to obtain a human DNA fragment.

The 5′ homology arm (1770 bp): the nucleotide of the site 94041502-94043271 (SEQ ID NO:18) with an NCBI login ID being NC 000067.6, the upstream primer (SEQ ID NO:19), and the downstream primer (SEQ ID NO:20). The human DNA fragment (333 bp): the nucleotide of the site 241852634-241852966 (SEQ ID NO:21) with an NCBI login ID being NC 000002.12, the upstream primer (SEQ ID NO:22), and the downstream primer (SEQ ID NO:23). The 3′ homology arm (1733 bp): the nucleotide of the site 94039436-94041168 (SEQ ID NO:24) with an NCBI login ID being NC_000067.6, the upstream primer (SEQ ID NO:25), and the downstream primer (SEQ ID NO:26).

The 5′ homology arm fragment, the 3′ homology arm fragment, and the human DNA fragment were connected, via the AlO kit, to the TV-4G plasmid provided with the kit, to ultimately obtain the vector TV-PD.

Example 7 Vector Verification

Two TV-PD clones in Example 6 were randomly selected, 2 groups of restriction endonucleases were used for enzyme digestion verification on the clones, wherein EcoRI+EcoRV should have 1812 bp+5527 bp, and HindIII+KpnI should have 270 bp+574 bp+1091 bp+5704 bp. See FIG. 3 for the enzyme digestion results. The enzyme digestion results of plasmids 1 and 2 all meet the expectation, indicating that the plasmids having these two numbers were verified to be correct by the enzyme digestion verification. Here, No. 2 plasmid was verified to be correct via sequencing by a sequencing company.

Example 8 Microinjection and Embryo Transfer

Fertilized egg of C57BL/6 mice were taken, a microinjector was used to inject the in vitro transcription product of pT7-PD-3 and pT7-PD-8 plasmids prepared in Example 4 (using the Ambion in vitro transcription kit for transcription according to the instructions), Cas9mRNA and TV-PD plasmids that were premixed into a cytoplasm or nucleus of a mouse fertilized egg. Microinjection of embryos was performed according to the method in the “Mouse Embryo Operation Experiment Manual (3^(rd) Ed),” and the fertilized egg after injection were transferred into a culture medium for a short period of culture. Then, they were transplanted into the oviduct of a receiving female mouse to produce gene-modified humanized mice. Founder mice having the C57BL/6 background (i.e., the Founder mice that were the F0 generation) were obtained. The obtained mice were subjected to hybridization and auto-copulation to increase the population and establish a stable mouse breed. The immune node humanized mice obtained using this method were named as B-hPD-1.

Example 9 Identification of Gene-Modified Humanized Mice

1. F0 Generation Genotyping

Two pairs of primers were used, respectively, to perform PCR analysis on the tail genome DNA of the F0 generation B-hPD-1 mice obtained in Example 8. Regarding positions of the primers, L-GT-F was at the left side of the 5′ homology arm, R-GT-R was at the right side of the 3′ homology arm, and R-GT-F and L-GT-R were both on the second exon. The 5′ end upstream primer L-GT-F (SEQ ID NO:27), and the downstream primer L-GT-R (SEQ ID NO:28). The 3′ end upstream primer R-GT-F (SEQ ID NO:29), and the downstream primer R-GT-R (SEQ ID NO:30). The PCR reaction system (20 μL) was shown in Table 3:

TABLE 3 10x buffer 2 μL dNTP (2 mM) 2 μL MgSO₄ (25 mM) 0.8 μL Upstream primer (10 μM) 0.6 μL Downstream primer (10 μM) 0.6 μL Tail genome DNA 200 ng KOD-Plus-(1 U/μL) 0.6 μL

The PCR amplification reaction conditions were shown in Table 4:

TABLE 4 Temperature Time Number of cycles 94° C. 5 min 1 94° C. 30 sec 15 67° C. (−0.7° C./cycle) 30 sec 68° C. 1 kb/min 98° C. 10 sec 25 56° C. 30 sec 68° C. 1 kb/min 68° C. 10 min 1  4° C. 10 min 1

If the insertion position of the recombinant vector was correct, there should be only one PCR band, the length of the 5′ end primer product should be 1956 bp, and the length of the 3′ end primer product should be 2245 bp. A total of 3 out of the obtained 24 F0 generation mice were identified to be positive mice. The PCR identification of the 3 mice tails were shown in FIG. 4.

2. F1 Generation Genotyping

The F0 generation mice identified to be positive were subjected to copulation with wild-type mice to obtain F1 generation mice. PCR analysis was performed on the tail genome DNA of the F1 generation mice. The PCR system, reaction conditions, and primers re the same as those for the F0 generation genotyping. See FIG. 5 for PCR results of the F1 generation mice, which indicates that 6 F1 generation mice were positive mice with specific numbers of F1-1, F1-2, F1-3, F1-5, F1-7, and F1-8.

Furthermore, the Southern blot method was used to determine whether there was random insertion in the 6 mice determined by PCR to be positive (F1-1, F1-2, F1-3, F1-5, F1-7, and F1-8). The genomic DNA was extracted from the mouse tail KpnI and BglII enzymes were selected to digest the genomes, respectively, the digestion products were transferred to membrane and hybridized. The probes P1 and P2 were on the outside of the 3′ homology arm and the humanized fragment, respectively. The probe synthesis primers were P1-F (SEQ ID NO:31), P1-R (SEQ ID NO:32); P2-F (SEQ ID NO:33), P2-R (SEQ ID NO:34), respectively.

The genetically engineered mice that have been successfully prepared produce, via probe hybridization, bands of 2.7 kb or 3.7 kb, respectively, while the wild-type C57BL/6 mouse genome only has bands of 7.3 kb or 3.7 kb with no production of hybrid bands.

The experimental results show that the sizes of hybrid bands all consistent with the expectation, proving that 4 mice were positive hybrid mice with no random insertion and numbers of F1-1, F1-2, F1-3, and F1-5, respectively; it was shown through Southern blot that 2 mice with numbers of F1-7 and F1-8 have random insertion. See FIG. 6 for the Southern blot test results. This shows that the method according to the present invention can construct B-hPD-1 humanized genetically engineered mice can have stable generations and have no random insertion.

3. Protein Identification

The F1 generation mice obtained in Example 8 were taken, their T lymphocytes (CD3+) were taken, which were subjected to flow cytometry with anti-mouse PD-1 and anti-human PD-1 antibodies. From the flow cytometry results (FIG. 7), it can be seen that the percent of the double-positive cells obtained by staining the two antibodies anti-human PD-1 and anti-mouse CD3 was 92%, indicating that the PD-1 gene-modified humanized mouse obtained using this method can express humanized PD-1 proteins.

Furthermore, the F1 generation mice obtained in Example 8 were subjected to mutual copulation to obtain F2 generation PD-1 gene humanized homozygotes. One PD-1 gene humanized homozygote (8 week old) was selected, one wild-type C57BL/6 mouse was taken as a control, 7.5 μg mouse CD3 antibody was administered to the mice through intraperitoneal injection, and after 24 h, the mice were subjected to euthanasia through neck break. The spleens were collected and grinded. The ground samples were then passed through 70 μm cell mesh, the filtered cell suspensions were centrifuged and the supernatants were discarded; the erythrocyte lysis solution was added for lysis of 5 min, and then PBS solution was added to neutralize the lysis reaction. The solution was centrifuged again and the supernatants were discarded. The cells were washed once with PBS, then subjected to FACS detection and RT-PCR detection, respectively.

The FACS detection: the anti-mouse PD-1 antibody mPD-1 PE and the anti-mouse T-cell surface antibody mTcRβ, as well as the anti-human PD-1 antibody hPD-1 FITC and the anti-mouse T-cell surface antibody mTcRβ, were used simultaneously for staining T-cell extracellular proteins, and after the cells were cleaned with PBS, flow cytometry was performed to detect protection expression. The flow cytometry results (FIG. 8) show that compared with the C57BL/6 mice unstimulated and with T-cells in spleens activated through stimulation by the mouse CD3 antibody, cells that express the humanized PD-1 protein can be detected in the spleens of the humanized mice for the humanized PD-1 antibody; while in the spleens of the C57BL/6 control mice, no cells that express the humanized PD-1 protein were detected.

The RT-PCR detection: the total RNA of spleen cells was extracted from wild-type C57BL/6 mice and B-hPD-1 homozygous mice, and a reverse transcription kit was used for reverse transcription to cDNA.

Primers: mPD-1 RT-PCR F3: (SEQ ID NO:35) and mPD-1 RT-PCR R3: (SEQ ID NO:36) were used to amplify a mouse PD-1 fragment with a size of 297 bp;

Primers hPD-1 RT-PCR F3 (SEQ ID NO:37) and hPD-1 RT-PCR R3 (SEQ ID NO:38) were used to amplify a humanized PD-1 fragment with a size of 297 bp.

The PCR reaction system was 20 μL, and the reaction conditions were as follows: 95° C., 5 min; (95° C., 30 sec; 60° C., 30 sec; 72° C., 30 sec, 35 cycles); 72° C., 10 min; keeping temperature constant at 4° C. GAPDH was used as an internal control.

The experimental results show (FIG. 9) that mRNA expression of the mouse PD-1 can be detected in the activated cells of wild-type C57BL/6 mice, and mRNA expression of the humanized PD-1 can be detected in the activated cells of B-hPD-1 homozygous mice.

Example 10 In Vivo Efficacy Verification on the B-hPD-1 Gene Humanized Animal Model

In this Example, 2 drugs for human PD-1/PD-L1 signal channels on the market that have been extensively verified were selected, which were Keytruda (pembrolizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody) from Merck & Co. and Tecentriq (Atezolizumab, a fully humanized monoclonal antibody) from Genentech under Roche.

B-hPD-1 homozygous mice (4-6 weeks old) were taken, mouse colon cancer cells MC38 or modified MC38-hPDL1 (i.e., PD-L1 gene humanized MC38 cells) were subcutaneously inoculated. When the tumor volume was about 100 mm³, the mice were randomly divided into a control group or a treatment group. For the treatment group, one of the above 2 antibodies was randomly selected and administered at different dosages (0.3-25 mg/kg), and the same volume of a blank solvent was injected for the control group. The tumor volume was measured twice a week and the body weight were measured for each mouse. Moreover, euthanasia was performed when the tumor volume of a single mouse reached 3000 mm³. The specific experiment scheme was as follows:

Experiment 1 Keytruda antibody efficacy pre-experiment (n=6/group): after subcutaneous inoculation of MC38 cells to mice (5×10⁵/100 μL PBS), the anti-human PD-1 antibody Keytruda was administered to the treatment group at 25 mg/kg through intraperitoneal injection, and the same volume of a blank solvent was injected for the control group; the administration frequency was one administration per 3 days for a total of 6 administrations;

Experiment 2 Keytruda antibody efficacy experiments at different dosages: after subcutaneous inoculation of MC38 cells to mice (5×10⁵/100 μL PBS), the anti-human PD-1 antibody Keytruda was administered to the treatment group (n=6/group) through intraperitoneal injection at different dosages (0.3-10 mg/kg), and the same volume of a blank solvent was injected for the control group (n=10/group); the administration frequency was one administration per 3 days for a total of 6 administrations;

Experiment 3 Tecentriq antibody efficacy pre-experiment (n=7/group): subcutaneous inoculation of MC38-PDL1 (5×10⁵/100 μL PBS), the anti-human PD-1 antibody Tecentriq was administered to the treatment group at 3 mg/kg through intraperitoneal injection, and the same volume of a blank solvent was injected for the control group; the administration frequency was one administration per week for a total of 2 weeks;

Experiment 4 Tecentriq antibody efficacy experiments at different dosages (n=5/group): subcutaneous inoculation of MC38-PDL1 (2×10⁵/100 μL PBS), the anti-human PD-1 antibody Tecentriq was administered to the treatment group through intraperitoneal injection at 1-10 mg/kg, and the same volume of a blank solvent was injected for the control group; the administration frequency was one administration per 2 days for a total of 8 administrations;

Main data and analytical results of all experiments were listed in Tables 5, 6, 7, and 8, specifically comprising tumor volumes at the time of group division and at 10-25 days after group division, tumor volumes when the experiments end, situation of mice survival, situation of tumor-free mice, Tumor Growth Inhibition Value (TGI_(TV)), and statistical difference (P values) in mouse weights and tumor volumes between mice in the treatment group and the control group.

Overall, the animals have good health conditions in the experiments of all groups. At the end of all experiments, all the animals in all groups have gained weight. There was no significant difference in weight throughout the entire experiment period between all the treatment groups and control groups (FIGS. 10, 12, 14, and 16). In terms of the tumor measurements (FIGS. 11, 13, 15, and 17), however, tumors were growing continuously in the experiment period for all mice in the control groups. Compared with the control groups thereof, all the treatment groups have the volume of tumors shrunk to different degrees and/or disappears. Therefore, the treatment by either of the two drugs for human PD-1/PD-L1 signal channels on the market has significantly inhibited the growth of tumors in the mice.

Each experiment was specifically evaluated and analyzed. In Experiment 1 (see Table 5), all mice in the control group and the treatment group survive at the experiment end-point (Day 26) and had normal weight gains. Compared with the control group, the treatment group does not have a significant difference in animal weight, indicating that the animals have good tolerance against Keytruda. Tumors were growing continuously in the experiment for all mice in the control group, while at the experiment end-point, 2 of the 6 mice in the treatment group have tumors disappeared. The average tumor volume of the control group was 3168±606 mm³, while the average tumor volume of the treatment group was 111±77 mm³. All mice in the treatment group have a tumor volume obviously smaller than that of the control group, and the difference was significant (p<0.05), and TGI_(TV) was 102%. Therefore, it was proven that according to the administration manner, the anti-human PD-1 antibody Keytruda has a significant inhibitory effort on tumors inside B-hPD-1 mice (TGI_(TV)>60%), has good capabilities of treating and inhibiting tumor growth, does not have obvious toxicity on the animals, and has good safety.

TABLE 5 Tumor P values Tumor volume (mm3) Survival free TGI_(TV) Tumor Experiment 1 Day 6 Day 18 Day 26 situation situation % Weight volume Control group 169 ± 16 1450 ± 202 3168 ± 606 100% 0/6 N/A N/A N/A Treatment group 169 ± 24 302 ± 86 111 ± 77 100% 2/6 102 0.05 0.0005

In Experiment 2 (see Table 6), all mice in the control group and the treatment groups survive at the experiment end-point (Day 32, which was Day 24 after group division) and had normal weight gains. Compared with the control group, the treatment groups do not have a significant difference in animal weight (p>0.05), indicating that the animals have good tolerance against Keytruda. Similar to Experiment 1, tumors were growing continuously in the experiment for all mice in the control group, while at the experiment end-point, 7 of all the 24 mice in the treatment groups have tumors disappeared. At the experiment end-point, the average tumor volume of the control group was 1589±652 mm³, while the average tumor volume of the treatment group was 223±270 mm³, 277±397 mm³, 201±186 mm³, and 437±515 mm³ at doses of 10 mg/kg, 3 mg/kg, 1 mg/kg, and 0.3 mg/kg, respectively. All mice in the treatment groups have a tumor volume obviously smaller than that of the control group, and the difference was significant (p<0.05) compared with the tumor volume of the control group. Overall, the optimal therapeutic effect was achieved after 3 weeks of administration. After the administration was stopped, obvious tumor growth occurs in the treatment groups having low dosage. TGI_(TV) was 92.4%, 89.0%, 94.0%, and 78.2%, respectively, indicating that the anti-human PD-1 antibody Keytruda has a significant inhibitory effort on tumors (TGI_(TV)>60%) and shows different therapeutic effects inside B-hPD-1 mice at different dosages.

TABLE 6 Tumor P values Tumor volume (mm³) Survival free TGI_(TV) Tumor Experiment 2 Day 8 Day 22 Day 32 situation situation % Weight volume Control group 100 ± 7  435 ± 210 1589 ± 652  10/10  0/10 N/A N/A N/A Treatment 10 mg/kg 110 ± 28 117 ± 111 223 ± 270 6/6 2/6 92.4 0.104 2.6E−04 groups  3 mg/kg 113 ± 25 88 ± 94 277 ± 397 6/6 2/6 89.0 0.310 0.001  1 mg/kg 112 ± 27 89 ± 86 201 ± 186 6/6 2/6 94.0 0.678 1.8E−04 0.3 mg/kg  113 ± 28 115 ± 116 437 ± 515 6/6 1/6 78.2 0.259 0.002

In Experiment 3 (see Table 7), all mice in the control group and the treatment group survive at the experiment end-point (Day 20) and had normal weight gains. Compared with the control group, the treatment group does not have a significant difference in animal weight (p>0.05), indicating that the animals have good tolerance against Tecentriq. Tumors were growing continuously in the experiment for all mice in the control group, but at this dosage, there was no mouse cured in the treatment group (i.e., no mice have tumors disappeared). At the experiment end-point, the average tumor volume of the control group was 824±315 mm³, while the average tumor volume of the treatment group was 237±89 mm³. All mice in the treatment group have a tumor volume obviously smaller than that of the control group, and TGI_(TV) was 79.7%. Therefore, it was proven that according to the administration manner, the anti-human PD-1 antibody Tecentriq has a significant inhibitory effort on tumors inside B-hPD-1 mice (TGI_(TV)>60%), has strong capabilities of inhibiting tumor growth, does not have obvious toxicity on the animals, and has good safety.

TABLE 7 Tumor P values Tumor volume (mm3) Survival free TGI_(TV) Tumor Experiment 3 Day 6 Day 17 Day 20 situation situation % Weight volume Control group 89 ± 6 685 ± 241 824 ± 315 7/7 0/7 N/A N/A N/A Treatment group 88 ± 8 208 ± 72  237 ± 89  7/7 0/7 79.7 0.19 0.098

In Experiment 4 (see Table 8), all mice in the control group and the treatment groups survive at the experiment end-point (Day 33, which was Day 24 after group division) and have gained weight. Compared with the control group, the treatment groups do not have a significant difference in animal weight (p>0.05), indicating that the animals have good tolerance against Tecentriq. Similar to Experiment 3, tumors were growing continuously in the experiment for all mice in the control group, while at the experiment end-point, 3 of all the 15 mice in the treatment groups have tumors disappeared. At the experiment end-point, the average tumor volume of the control group was 2464±1914 mm³, while the average tumor volume of the treatment groups was 219±326 mm³, 1028±963 mm³, and 1044±432 mm³ at doses of 10 mg/kg, 3 mg/kg, and 1 mg/kg, respectively. All mice in the treatment groups have a tumor volume obviously smaller than that of the control group. TGI_(TV) was 97.2%, 93.7%, and 61.2%, respectively, indicating that the anti-human PD-1 antibody Tecentriq has a significant inhibitory effort on tumors (TGI_(TV)>60%) at different dosages, and higher doses have better therapeutic effects. Therefore, it was proven that the anti-human PD-1 antibody Tecentriq has different therapeutic effects inside B-hPD-1 mice.

TABLE 8 Tumor Tumor volume (mm³) Survival free TGI_(TV) P values Experiment 4 Day 8 Day 22 Day 33 situation situation % Day 8 Day 22 Control group 147 ± 23 1008 ± 469  2464 ± 1914 5/5 0/5 N/A N/A N/A Treatment 10 mg/kg  153 ± 62 68 ± 75 219 ± 326 5/5 3/5 97.2 0.498 0.032 groups 3 mg/kg 147 ± 38 418 ± 268 1028 ± 963  5/5 0/5 93.7 0.907 0.172 1 mg/kg 144 ± 31 506 ± 289 1044 ± 432  5/5 0/5 61.2 0.051 0.144

The above research results show that the two human PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies that have been extensively used have significant inhibitory and/or eliminating effect on growth of tumors inside B-hPD-1 mice. Therefore, it was proven that the humanized PD-1 animal model can be used to evaluate in vivo the effectiveness of drugs targeting PD-1/PD-L1 and to evaluate therapeutic effects of targeting PD-1/PD-L1.

Example 11 Application of the B-hPD-1 Gene Humanized Animal Model in Efficacy of the Combined Use of Drugs

Clinical research has proven that chemotherapy drugs have significant effect on a variety of solid tumors in human body, and have features like broad anti-tumor spectrum, strong effect, synergistic effect with a variety of anti-tumor drugs with no cross resistance. Joint administration of monoclonal antibodies for chemotherapy of tumors was a method that has been extensively used clinically. In this Example, the representative human PD-1 antibody Keytruda and the human PD-L1 antibody Tecentriq were administered combined with the first-line chemotherapy drug Cisplatin to prove that the B-hPD-1 mice can be used for research on the joint administration of the inhibitors for human PD-1/PD-L1 signal channels and other drugs.

B-hPD-1 homozygous mice (4-6 weeks old) were taken, 5×10⁵ mouse colon cancer cells MC38-hPDL1 were subcutaneously inoculated at right side (the same as Example 10). When the tumor volume was about 100 mm³, the mice were randomly divided into 6 control groups or treatment groups (n=7/group). For the treatment group, one or two of the above 3 drugs were randomly injected, the dosages were 0.1-10 mg/kg, and a blank solvent was injected for the control group. The tumor volume was measured and the mice were weighed twice a week. Moreover, euthanasia was performed when the tumor volume of a single mouse reached 3000 mm³. The specific administration or administration combination, dosage, administration manner and frequency were listed in Table 9.

TABLE 9 Group Drug Dose/administiation manner/frequency G1 blank solvent intraperitoneal injection: once per 3 days, a total of 6 times G2 Cisplatin 10 mg/kg: intravenous push: once per week, a total of 1 week G3 Keytruda 0.1 mg/kg: intraperitoneal injection: once per 3 days, a total of 6 times G4 Cisplatin + 10 mg/kg: intravenous push: once per week, a Keytruda total of 1 week 0.1 mg/kg: intraperitoneal injection: once per 3 days, a total of 6 times G5 Tecentriq 1 mg/kg: intraperitoneal injection: once per 2 days, a total of 8 times G6 Cisplatin + 10 mg/kg: intravenous push: once per week, a Tecentriq total of 1 week 1 mg/kg: intraperitoneal injection: once per 2 days, a total of 8 times

From the testing results, it can be seen that there was no significant difference in weight change of mice in the 6 groups (FIG. 18) throughout the entire experiment period; from the tumor measurement results (FIGS. 19 and 20), however, tumors were growing continuously in the experiment period for the mice in the control group (G1). Compared with the control group, the volume of tumors in the 5 treatment groups (G2 to G6) decreased to different degrees, indicating that the tumor growth inside the mice was significantly inhibited after treatment by different drugs or after joint drug treatment.

Each experiment was specifically evaluated and analyzed. Main data and analytical results were listed in Table 10, specifically comprising tumor volumes at the time of group division (8 days after inoculation) and at 10 days after group division, tumor volumes when the experiments end (25 days after inoculation), situation of mice survival, situation of tumor-free mice, Tumor Growth Inhibition Value (TGI_(TV)), and statistical difference (P values) in mouse weights and tumor volumes between mice in the treatment groups and the control group. Among them, the survival situation was the worst for mice treated with Cisplatin only (G2), where 2 mice died, followed by the Cisplatin combined with Keytruda group (G4) or the Cisplatin combined with Tecentriq group (G6), each had one mouse died. On the other hand, all mice in the control group (G1) and the treatment groups using antibodies (G3 and G5) survive at the experiment end-point. At the experiment end-point, the average tumor volume of the control group (G1) was 1716±789 mm³, the average tumor volume of the treatment group with Cisplatin only (G2) was 612±510 mm³, the average tumor volume of the treatment group with Keytruda only (G3) was 1267±619 mm³, the average tumor volume of the treatment group of Cisplatin combined with Keytruda (G4) was 496±160 mm³, the average tumor volume of the treatment group with Tecentriq only (G5) was 1234±977 mm³, and the average tumor volume of the treatment group of Cisplatin combined with Tecentriq (G6) was 427±148 mm³. It can be seen that the tumor volume of the mice in the treatment group with combination of Cisplatin and Keytruda (G4) was significantly smaller than that of Cisplatin only (G2) or Keytruda only (G3); the tumor volume of the mice in the treatment group with combination of Cisplatin and Tecentriq (G6) was significantly smaller than that of Cisplatin only (G2) or Tecentriq only (G5). The experimental results show that the chemotherapy drug Cisplatin has certain tumor inhibitory effect, but has certain toxicity that can lead to mouse death. In addition, the TGI_(TV) value also shows that the therapeutic effect of joint administration of the above two monoclonal antibodies and the chemotherapy drug Cisplatin was superior to the therapeutic effect of separate administration of the monoclonal antibodies or the chemotherapy drug. The simultaneous administration of the human PD-1 antibody Keytruda or the human PD-L1 antibody Tecentriq can more efficiently inhibit the growth of tumor cells.

TABLE 10 Tumor P values Tumor volume (mm³) Survival free TGI_(TV) Tumor Day 8 Day 18 Day 25 situation situation % Weight volume Control group G1 98 ± 23 954 ± 345 1716 ± 789  7/7(100%)  0/7 N/A N/A N/A Treatment G2 98 ± 24 401 ± 249 612 ± 510 5/7(71.4%) 0/5 68.2 0.062 0.021 groups G3 98 ± 30 606 ± 247 1267 ± 619  7/7(100%)  0/7 27.7 0.335 0.260 G4 97 ± 24 311 ± 117 496 ± 160 6/7(85.7%) 0/6 75.3 0.136 0.004 G5 98 ± 26 688 ± 409 1234 ± 977  7/7(100%)  0/7 29.8 0.598 0.330 G6 98 ± 30 242 ± 76  427 ± 148 6/7(85.7%) 0/6 79.6 0.067 0.002

The above Examples have proven that the B-hPD-1 mouse model was respond to existing anti-human PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and chemotherapy drug or combination thereof, and has shown dosage correlation with tumor growth inhibition. The following Examples were selected anti-human PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors to further prove that B-hPD-1 mice can be used as alternative living model for in vivo research and for screening, evaluating and treating of human PD-1/PD-L1 pathway regulators.

Example 12 Application of the B-hPD-1 Gene Humanized Animal Model in Screening Anti-Human PD-1/PD-L1 Regulators

Experiment 1: B-hPD-1 homozygous mice (4-6 weeks old) were taken, 5×10⁵ mouse colon cancer cells MC38-hPDL1 were subcutaneously inoculated at right side (the same as Example 10). When the tumor volume was about 100 mm³, the mice were randomly divided into the control group or treatment groups (n=5/group). For the treatment group, the positive control Tecentriq or one of two anti-human PD-L1 antibodies was randomly selected, all dosages were 3 mg/kg, and a blank solvent was injected for the control group. The administration manner was intraperitoneal injection, once per 2 days for a total of 8 times. The tumor volume was measured twice a week. Moreover, euthanasia was performed when the tumor volume of a single mouse reached 3000 mm³.

Main data and analytical results of all experiments were listed in Table 11, specifically comprising tumor volumes at the time of group division and at 10 days after group division, tumor volumes when the experiments end, situation of mice survival, situation of tumor-free mice, Tumor Growth Inhibition Value (TGI_(TV)), and statistical difference (P values) in mouse weights and tumor volumes between mice in the treatment groups and the control group.

TABLE 11 Tumor P values Tumor volume (mm³) Survival free TGI_(TV) Tumor Day 10 Day 20 Day 27 situation situation % Weight volume Control group G1 111 ± 27 247 ± 80  409 ± 131 5/5 0/5 N/A N/A N/A Treatment G2(Tecentriq) 111 ± 25 60 ± 70  75 ± 113 5/5 0/5 112.2 0.610 0.003 groups G3(PDL1-Ab1) 111 ± 29 89 ± 54 101 ± 128 5/5 2/5 103.3 0.899 0.006 G4(PDL1-Ab2) 112 ± 25 180 ± 71  232 ± 88  5/5 0/5 59.8 0.652 0.036

Overall, during the experiments of all groups, the animals were in good health. At each experiment end-point, the animals in all groups had normal weight gains. Compared with the control group, none of the treatment groups has a significant difference in animal weight (P>0.05), indicating that the animals have good tolerance against the three antibodies. There was no significant difference in weight among the mice in all the treatment groups and the control group (FIG. 21) throughout the entire experiment period. In terms of the tumor measurement results (FIG. 22), however, tumors were growing continuously in the experiment period for all mice in the control group. Compared with the control group, all the treatment groups have the volume of tumors shrunk to different degrees and/or disappears, indicating that the two anti-human PD-L1 monoclonal antibodies have different tumor inhibitory effects, do not have obvious toxicity on the animals, and have good safety.

At the experiment end-point, the average tumor volume of the control group (G1) was 409±131 mm³, the average tumor volume of the Tecentriq treatment group (G2) was 75±113 mm³, the average tumor volume of the PDL1-Ab1 antibody treatment group (G3) was 101±128 mm³, and the average tumor volume of the PDL1-Ab2 antibody treatment group (G4) was 232±88 mm³. The difference in tumor volume was not significant between mice in the PDL1-Ab1 antibody treatment group (G3) and the Tecentriq treatment group (G2), while there was a significant difference in tumor volume between G2, G3 and the control group (G1) (P<0.05), TGI_(TV) was 112.2% and 103.3%, respectively. On the other hand, the tumor volume of the mice in the PDL1-Ab2 antibody treatment group (G4) was significantly bigger than that of the Tecentriq treatment group (G2) and the PDL1-Ab1 antibody treatment group (G3), indicating that the anti-human PDL1-Ab1 antibody has similar efficacy as that of the positive control Tecentriq under the same dosage and frequency, leading to equivalent effect on inhibiting tumor growth, while the efficacy of the anti-human PDL1-Ab2 antibody was not as good as that of Tecentriq or the PDL1-Ab1 antibody. This experiment proves that the B-hPD-1 mice can be used for screening drugs (e.g. antibodies) targeting human PD-L1 and for in vivo efficacy detection.

Experiment 2: B-hPD-1 homozygous mice (4-6 weeks old) were taken, mouse colon cancer cells MC38 (5×10⁵) were subcutaneously inoculated. When the tumor volume was about 100 mm³, the mice were randomly divided into the control group or treatment groups (n=6/group). For the treatment group, one of five anti-human PD-1 antibodies was randomly selected, all dosages were 10 mg/kg, and a blank solvent was injected for the control group. The administration manner was intraperitoneal injection, once per 3 days for a total of 6 times. The tumor volume was measured twice a week. Moreover, euthanasia was performed when the tumor volume of a single mouse reached 3000 mm³.

Main data and analytical results of all experiments were listed in Table 12, specifically comprising tumor volumes before group division and after group division, tumor volumes when the experiments end, situation of mice survival, situation of tumor-free mice, Tumor Growth Inhibition Value (TGI_(TV)), and statistical difference (P values) in mouse weights and tumor volumes between mice in the treatment groups and the control group.

TABLE 12 Tumor P values Tumor volume (mm³) Survival free TGI_(TV) Tumor Day 6 Day 18 Day 26 situation situation % Weight volume Control group G1 169 ± 16 1450 ± 202 3168 ± 606  5/5 0/5 N/A N/A N/A Treatment G2(Ab-A) 171 ± 20 330 ± 67 145 ± 58  5/5 2/5 101 0.13 0.0006 groups G3(Ab-B) 168 ± 18  541 ± 235 744 ± 444 5/5 2/5 81 0.002 0.0091 G4(Ab-C) 168 ± 26  309 ± 123 301 ± 200 5/5 1/5 95 0.03 0.0012 G5(Ab-D) 167 ± 18 339 ± 69 97 ± 45 5/5 3/5 102 0.07 0.0005 G6(Ab-E) 166 ± 18 448 ± 91 493 ± 184 5/5 0/5 89 0.04 0.0018

Overall, during the experiments of all groups, the animals were in good health. At each experiment end-point, the animals in all groups had normal weight gains. Compared with the control group, none of the treatment groups has a significant difference in animal weight, indicating that the animals have good tolerance against the five antibodies. There was no significant difference in weight among the mice in all the treatment groups and the control group (FIG. 23) throughout the entire experiment period. In terms of the tumor measurement results (FIG. 24), however, tumors were growing continuously in the experiment period for all mice in the control group. Compared with the control group, all the treatment groups have the volume of tumors shrunk to different degrees and/or disappears, indicating that the five anti-human PD-1 monoclonal antibodies have different tumor inhibitory effects, do not have obvious toxicity on the animals, and have good safety. This experiment proves that the B-hPD-1 mice can be used for screening drugs (e.g. antibodies) targeting human PD-1 and for in vivo efficacy detection.

Example 13 Preparation and Identification of Double Humanized or Multiple Humanized Mice

The B-hPD-1 mice using this method or already prepared can be further used to prepare a double-gene humanized or multi-gene humanized mouse model. For example, in Example 8 above, the fertilized egg used in the microinjection and embryo transfer were fertilized egg from other gene modified mice. The fertilized egg of the B-hPD-1 mice can be selected for gene editing to further obtain a PD-1 gene humanized and other gene modified double-gene or multi-gene modified or humanized mouse model. Alternatively, the B-hPD-1 homozygous mice or heterozygous mice obtained using this method can copulate with other gene modified homozygous or heterozygous mice, the progenies thereof were screened, and according to the Mendel's genetic law, there was a probability that a PD-1 gene humanized and other gene modified double-gene or multi-gene modified or humanized mouse model can be obtained. Then, the heterozygous mice were subjected to mutual copulation to obtain double-gene or multi-gene modified or humanized heterozygous mice.

The preparation of double humanized CTLA-4/PD-1 mice was used as an example. Since mouse CTLA-4 gene and PD-1 gene were on the same chromosome (#1 chromosome), the fertilized egg of B-hCTLA-4 (CTLA-4 gene humanized) mice were selected for gene editing during the microinjection in Example 8, and the CTLA-4/PD-1 gene double humanized mice were ultimately obtained through screening positive mouse progenies.

One double humanized CTLA-4/PD-1 heterozygote (6-weeks old) was selected, two wild-type C57BL/6 mice were selected as the control, 7.5 μg mouse CD3 antibody was administered to the mice through intraperitoneal injection, and after 28 h, the mice were subjected to euthanasia through neck break. Their spleens were taken, ground and filtered through a 70 μm cell screen. The filtered cell suspension was centrifuged, the supernatant was discarded, an erythrocyte lysate was added, after 5 min of lysis, and a PBS solution was added to neutralize the lysis reaction. The solution was centrifuged, the supernatant was discarded, and the cells were washed with PBS once, then the anti-mouse CTLA-4 antibody mCTLA-4 APC (FIGS. 25A, 25B, 25C) or the anti-human CTLA-4 antibody hCTLA-4 PE (FIGS. 25D, 25E, 25F), or the anti-mouse PD-1 antibody mPD-1 PE (FIGS. 25G, 25H, 25I) or the anti-human PD-1 antibody hPD-1 FITC (FIGS. 25J, 25K, 25L), and the anti-mouse T-cell surface antibody mTcRβ were used for staining the isolated T-cell extracellular proteins, and after the cells were washed with PBS, flow cytometry was performed to detect protection expression. The flow cytometry results were shown in FIG. 25. Compared with the C57BL/6 mice unstimulated and with T-cells in spleens activated through stimulation by the mouse CD3 antibody, T cells that express the human CTLA-4 and PD-1 proteins can be detected in the spleens of the gene humanized CTLA-4/PD-1 heterozygous mice for both the human-source CTLA-4 antibody and the human-source PD-1 antibody, while no T cells that express the human CTLA-4 or PD-1 protein were detected in the spleens of the C57BL/6 control mice.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention provides a method for preparing a PD-1 gene-modified humanized animal model. The model utilizes the CRIPSR/Cas9 technique to replace partial fragments of a mouse PD-1 gene with fragments of a human PD-1 gene in a manner of DNA homologous recombination by constructing a targeting vector, thereby preparing a PD-1 gene-modified humanized mouse. This mouse can normally express a PD-1 protein containing the functional domain of the human PD-1 protein, and can be used as an animal model for signal mechanism research regarding PD-1, PD-L1 and other genes and proteins, for screening individual or multiple effective regulators and drugs, and for pharmacological research. The method has an important application value in studies on functions of the PD-1 and PD-L1 genes and in the development of new drugs. 

1. A humanized rodent, wherein the genome of the rodent comprises a humanized PD-1 gene and the rodent expresses a functional PD-1 protein, wherein the PD-1 protein comprises a functional domain of human PD-1 protein.
 2. (canceled)
 3. The rodent of claim 1, wherein the rodent is a mouse.
 4. The rodent of claim 3, wherein the mouse has a C57BL/6 background.
 5. The rodent of claim 1, wherein the genome of the rodent comprises a sequence that has at least 80% homology to SEQ ID NO:
 21. 6. A DNA sequence of a humanized mouse PD-1 gene, wherein the DNA sequence encodes a PD-1 protein comprising a functional domain of a human PD-1 protein.
 7. The DNA sequence of a humanized mouse PD-1 gene of claim 6, wherein the nucleotides 11053-11385 of a mouse PD-1 gene are replaced by a DNA fragment of a human PD-1 gene, and other mouse PD-1 regions including the transmembrane region are retained; the DNA fragment of the human PD-1 gene is as shown by SEQ ID NO: 21 or is a DNA fragment having 80% or higher homology with this fragment; the DNA sequence of the humanized mouse PD-1 gene contains a nucleotide sequence shown by SEQ ID NO: 14 or a DNA fragment having 80% or higher homology with the DNA sequence of the humanized mouse PD-1 gene. 8.-14. (canceled)
 15. A method for preparing a humanized mouse, comprising (1) providing a recombinant expression vector comprising a human PD-1 gene fragment, a 5′ homology arm, and a 3′ homology arm, wherein the 5′ homology arm and the 3′ homology arm target mouse PD-1 gene; (2) providing a plasmid for sgRNAs that target the second exon of mouse PD-1 gene; (3) injecting in vitro transcription products of the plasmid, the recombinant expression vector, and Cas9 mRNA into a cytoplasm or nucleus of a mouse fertilized egg; and (4) transplanting the fertilized egg into a female mouse, to thereby produce the humanized mouse.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the 5′ homology arm comprises a sequence that is set forth in SEQ ID NO: 18, and the 3′ homology arm comprises a sequence that is set forth in SEQ ID NO:
 24. 17-23. (canceled)
 24. A cell or tissue isolated from the rodent of claim
 1. 25-34. (canceled)
 35. The rodent of claim 1, wherein the PD-1 protein comprises a transmembrane region of mouse PD-1 protein.
 36. The rodent of claim 1, wherein the rodent comprises SEQ ID NO:
 21. 37. The rodent of claim 1, wherein the humanized PD-1 gene encodes an amino acid sequence that has at least 80% homology to SEQ ID NO:
 17. 38. The rodent of claim 1, wherein the humanized PD-1 gene encodes SEQ ID NO:
 17. 39. The rodent of claim 1, wherein the genome of the rodent further comprises a second humanized gene.
 40. The rodent of claim 1, wherein the second humanized gene is a humanized CTLA-4 gene.
 41. A method for evaluating effectiveness of a drug, comprising administering the drug to the rodent of claim 1, wherein the rodent has a tumor; and determining inhibitory effects of the drug on the tumor.
 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the tumor expresses human PD-L1.
 43. The method of claim 41, wherein the rodent further comprises a second humanized gene.
 44. The method of claim 41, wherein the drug targets PD-1/PD-L1 pathway.
 45. The method of claim 41, wherein the drug is an anti-human PD-1 antibody. 